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Former Border Patrol union head indicted

Michel Marizco | Fronteras Desk

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection bike patrol agent assists Mexican's being returned to Mexico after they were apprehended for entering the United States illegally June 2, 2010. Scott Olson/Getty Images

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The retired president of a large Border Patrol union was indicted Thursday on federal charges, the Fronteras Desk reported Friday. Prosecutors say he used hundreds of thousands of dollars in union dues for personal use.

For 22 years, Terence "T.J." Bonner was president of a union that represented some 14,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents. Prosecutors in San Diego say he now is accused of turning in expense vouchers for personal trips.

They allege those trips cover a time period when he was visiting family, going to hockey games and visiting his mistress in Chicago. They also say he used union money to pay for hard drives onto which he downloaded inappropriate content, and then charged the union for the time he spent downloading the content.

Before he retired in 2011, Bonner was among the Homeland Security Department’s most vocal critics on policies that affected agents.

Bonner faces twelve felony counts, including wire fraud. He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance in San Diego on Monday.